Kaneland's Baum stepping down

Gary Baum has been a fixture in the Kaneland wrestling program for the last two decades.

The Knights' head coach announced this week that the current season will be his final campaign.

Citing time commitments, Baum, whose multi-faceted professional career includes serving as a volunteer fireman, will be turning over the reigns to Jeremy Kenny, a former Kaneland wrestler who is currently an assistant coach with the Knights and student teaching at the Maple Park school.

"I'm already preparing him on how to interview and things like that," Baum said.

Kaneland is 5-6 overall on the season as Baum has had to fill heavy graduation losses from last year, a banner season in which the Knights captured the inaugural Western Sun Conference title and the first Class AA regional title in program history.

The Knights have been led all season by its quartet of battle-tested seniors: Sean Szatkowski, Jeff Stralka, Christian Gayton and Ben Fabrizius.

Stralka is undefeated on the season after 10 matches, as is Fabrizius, the Knights' heavyweight, who has six falls among his eight victories.

Szatkowski, the Knights' 112-pounder, has only dropped one match, and Gayton has chalked up eight wins at 135 pounds.

The final senior returnee, 215-pounder Joe Mollahan, is currently out with an injury.

"Our seniors are showing good leadership," Kenny said.

"We're very inexperienced this year. The majority of our lineup is freshmen and sophomores. I have really been impressed with their willingness to learn."

Szatkowski and Stralka had more than 60 combined wins for the Knights last season, and the two defending conference champions at 103 and 112 pounds, respectively, have each moved up one weight class this season.

"Stralka has been doing a great job," Kenny said. "He has been focusing on what he wants to achieve (this season)."

Kaneland is idle this weekend, but the squad will have one of its most important tournaments of the season at the DeKalb team duals over the holidays.

St. Charles successes:ŒThe two St. Charles programs are coming off quadrangular sweeps from last weekend.

St. Charles East is 7-2 on the young season after vanquishing Cary Grove, Sycamore and Antioch last Saturday.

"We wrestled very aggressive and got a lot of pins over the weekend," St. Charles East coach Steve Smerz said.

The North Stars do not have the luxury their rivals to the south enjoy as the squad still has three open spots in its lineup.

St. Charles North picked up a trio of dual-meet wins last Saturday at Harvard.

"We as a team wrestled well (last) weekend," first-year North coach Scott Trizzino said.

"I get more concerned with individuals wrestling to their potential than with team (dual-meet) scores. We could win a dual and not be very happy. It's not how I define success."

Forfeiting three weight classes on a regular basis has forced Trizzino to stress individual accomplishments, but the North Stars have already demonstrated their legitimacy as a tournament team.

Dan McSweeney opened the North Stars' season with a program first: the 215-pound championship at the venerable Conant tournament.

Eric Justice gave the program a measure of credibility last season when he secured the first individual state-qualifying performance at St. Charles North.

The senior has no intention of the trip to Champaign being an aberration.

Justice has moved up a class to 145 after coming out of the Class AA Glenbard North sectional at 140 last February.

"It was more of a personal decision than a team decision," Trizzino said. "We are doing it strictly due to where we think our wrestlers are strongest. He is a strong, strong kid. When he cuts down to (140), he loses a lot of his body strength."

The North Stars' two other senior leaders -- state-ranked Lin Stacey at 152 pounds and 140-pounder Dave Trizzino -- have been complemented with the arrival of junior Casey Roe at heavyweight.

Roe literally filled a big hole at 285 pounds, and Brian Landerville is making inroads at 189.

The North Stars will be at the Rex Whitlatch tournament at Hinsdale Central this weekend, where West Aurora is the defending champion.

Batavia triumphs again:ŒBatavia has turned the Downers Grove South tournament into its unofficial home-away-from-home hotspot.

For the fourth time in the last five years, the Bulldogs' captured the nine-team tournament last Saturday.

The saga of Andrew Rudd continues to unfold with yet more thrill-a-minute performances.

The junior 152-pounder is rapidly making the school record for falls a distinct possibility.

Rudd needed six-plus minutes collectively to render his three foes at Downers South immobile in easing to one of four individual titles for Batavia.

"(Rudd) knows where his body is at all times," Batavia coach Tom Arlis said. "I think confidence is the key. He's kind of in the zone right now. He is just catching guys and pinning them."

The first-year varsity member extended his winning streak to 12 matches -- his sole defeat coming in the opening meet of the season -- with his two first- and one second-period falls.

Logan Arlis and Danny Watson also emerged victorious at 112 and 160 pounds, respectively, but it was Tyler Patton who was the biggest surprise.

"What a super sophomore," Arlis said of his 119-pounder who won three decisions at Downers South.

"He doesn't make a lot of second mistakes."

Batavia will be at Glenbrook South this weekend for a 17-team tournament.